Charles Leclerc claims his F1 contract extension is not the ‘priority’ for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc is one of the most sought after drivers at the pinnacle of motor racing.

Charles Leclerc claims his F1 contract extension is not the ‘priority’ for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc is in his penultimate season with the Ferrari F1 team as per his current deal. 2024 is the last season. The two parties will be together as things stand. Amidst all the troubles of the ongoing campaign, Leclerc had admitted that his contract extension was not a priority for Ferrari.

The Maranello-based Ferrari F1 team is currently in the fourth position in the 2023 Constructors standings and is desperate to make a significant step up during the second leg. Finishing second is the priority for the Fred Vasseur-led team for the time being, and this has been made clear quite a few times by Ferrari personnel recently.

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As far as Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari contract is concerned, the Monegasque driver told Motorsport, “I’ve always loved Ferrari, and it’s always been my dream to be where I am today. It’s clear that no one in the team is happy with the situation we’re in, but I feel at home here. I can’t add much because there hasn’t been a negotiation yet, apart from a few jokes.”

“We had other priorities, and we probably still have them, we’re just focusing on what’s really important, which is getting back to being competitive as quickly as possible.” The 26-year-old has made it known that while Ferrari is aware of his contract situation, the main focus for the time being is to be quite competitive during the ongoing campaign.

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Charles Leclerc wants to be an F1 World Champion with Ferrari

Charles Leclerc (Credits: City A.M.)
Charles Leclerc (Credits: City A.M.)

While Charles Leclerc has revealed that Ferrari has bigger issues to deal with, he has a heartfelt desire to become an F1 World Champion at least once with the Ferrari F1 team. The outfit holds a lot of pedigree at the pinnacle of motor racing, and he wants to bring smiles to the faces of the Tifosi worldwide.

The last time a Ferrari driver was able to win the World Championship was way back in 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen clinched the title. However, since then, it has been a struggle for the Italian giants. In 2022, they had the car to go for the Championship, but because of a plethora of reasons, their push ran out of steam just after the midway point of the campaign.

While Charles Leclerc is not in the Championship fight this year because of a lackluster SF-23, it is a common belief that 2024 will be the year Ferrari will make a roaring comeback. If this proves to be the case next, the Championship fight will become highly entertaining.

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